The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-04

| And now the tide Is slackenlng!
| ''Hurrah for the South
sHurrah!'
The fiotilla's attempt lasted about ten minute
| ten minutes which appeared long to Texar, to
| his partisans, and to all there whose liberty or
| life would be endangered by the capture OF
Jacksonville. WHAT had really happened they
| did not know the distance too great for
them to be sure Had the channel been forced
not2 By discharging all useless weight to
tighten his draught had Stevens been able to
| clear the narrow shoal that kept him out of the
! deep water. by which the passage up to the
| town would be easy2 So long as the tide was
Oh the turn there was chance that he might.
But the people said, the tide had begun to
| run out. Once the ebb began the level of the
| St. Johns would soon sink.
| Suddenly arms were stretched towards the
| bar, and there was shout that was heard over
"a boat a boat"
A little boat sighted coming along the left
bank where the flow of the tide still per-
ceptible. while the ebb appeared in mid-channel.
| The boat rowed up rapidly. In the stern sat an
officer in the uniform of the Florida militia. He
| soon reached the stockade and running the
| ladder, landed on the wharf. Perceiving Texar
he came towards him. followed by crowd al
most choking with anxiety to see and hear
What is it!' asked the Spaniard.
Nothing, and there will be nothing" said the
officer.
'Who sent you9"
''Tha commander of the boats, who will soon
| be back here"
| .'And why2"
because the gunboats have failed in crossing
| the bar, although they were lghtened for draught
and We're driven at full speed. There is now
| nothing to fear"
For this tidel' asked Texar.
Nor for any other-at least for some
| months"
"Hurrah! Hurrah."
The cheers spread over the town. And as the
roughs more than ever cheered the Spaniard, in
| whom allther detestable instincts were incar-
nate. the respectable people saw with despair
that for some time yet they would be under the
| iniqultous rule of the committee and it's chief.
The officers report true From that day
| the tide would decrease each day. The tide of
the 18th of March of the highest of the
| year, and several months would elapse before it
again reached the same level The bar being
mpassable. Jacksonville would escape Stevens's
gun. Texar would remain in power: the scoun-
drel would accomplish his work of vengeance.
Even if General Sherman sent Wright to occupy
the town with the troops landed at Fernandina,
the march would take several days. AS far as
the Burbanks were concerned, their execution
being fixed for the next morning, nothing could
save them
The spread to the suburbs. We can
imagine it's effect on the riotous portion of the
community Decent people prepared to leave
town in which they could not be safe.
The cheering and shouting reached the prison
ers and told them that all hope of life had van
ished, and they were heard in Mr. Harvey's
house We need not dwell on the despair with
ter. What could they do save James
Burbank and his sons Corrupt the gaoler
They could not now leave the house in which
they had taken refuge A troop of desperadoes
kept them in sight, whose curses could be heard
at the door.
Night on. The weather, which had been
threatening for some hours, changed rapidly;
the wind had gone round to the northeast.
Great masses of grey, broken clouds came
ing past too hurriedly to dissolve in rain and
almost low enough to sweep the surface Of the
frleates masts would certainly have
reached into tn mass of vapour The barom-
eter suddenly fell, and there was every sign of a
storm over the distant Atlantic.
From its position the storm would strike full
into the estuary of St Johns. 1t would raise
the waters and drive them back IKE the bores OF
large rivers, and the flood would rise over the
lands by the riverside
During this night of trouble Jacksonville was
swept with terrible violence. A part of the stock
ade succumbed to the fury of the surf against
the stockades; the water came over the wharf and
dashed to pieces it several dugger,boats, whose
cables broke like thread 1t was impossible to re-
main in the streets squares. owing to the
shower of fragments that rained down from the
roofs. People took refuge in the public houses
,snd the noise therein contended, not without ad~
vantage, with the roar of the storm.
1t not only over the land that the gale
ragged. In the st. Johns the agitation of the
inoored above the bar were caught in the storm
before they could get ntdsafety; their grapnels
broke. and their cables parted. The nights
tide increased by the gale, carried them up the
river resistlessly. Some were stove against the
piles. others were swept past Jacksonville and
lost the islands and points miles the ST.
Johns. Many of the sailors lost their lives in
the storm. which came so suddenly rem
der useless the measures usually taken under
the circumstances.
Had the gunboats weighed anchor and steamed
off to shelter in the creeks at the MOUTH Had
they. thanks to the precaution, escaped COM
plete destruction? Had they gone out of the
river2 That they had remained at their anchors
Jacksonville could not believe, for the bar would
be impossible.
Darkness enveloped the valley of the st.
Johns while the air and water ngled together
as If some chemical action was trying to com
bins them into one cement. It was one Of those
cataclysms which srepso frequent at the equinox,
hr+i-, u;n lone a0 all hat nf
Florida had experienced
Owing to its violence the storm lasted but
few hours. Before the sun rose the storm had
passed over into the Gulf of Mexico.
About O'Clock, as the first streaks of dawn
were tintng the horizon, a calm succeeded
the tumut of the night and the people began to
or ovid into the streets from the drinking bars
where they had taken refuge. The militia
appeared at their deserted posts. The damages
caused by the tempest began to be taken in
hand. particularly along the river front. where
they were considerable the tide bringing down
with it many of The drifted boats that had been
wrecked and carried up the river.
But these wrecks could only be for a few
yards GU. from the bank dense fog accumu-
lated over the river. and was rising toward the
higher zones that had been cooled by the
pest. At o'clock the center of the stream
was still invisible, although but few moments
would elapse before it would be dissipated in the
rays of the
Suddenly, just after o'clock, loud reports
broke through the mist. There could be mis-
take. It not the long roll Of thunder. but
formidable detonations of artillery! Something
whistled enthusiastically overhead: shout
of terror from the crowd, who rushed
towards the wharf.
The fog began to open; it was pierced by bang
after bang. Its wreathes mingled with the
smoke rom the guns and fell to the river.
There lay Stevenss gunboats in line before
Jacksonville. which they commanded completely
within sh ort range
THE gtlnboats! The gunboats!'
The words repeated from mouth to mouth
soon spread to the outskirts In few minutes
population extreme
faction, the disreputable population with ex-
treme alarm learnt that Stevens was master OF
the St. Johns
What had happened? Had the Northerners
found the storm of unexpected assistance? Yes.
The gunboats had not sought shelter in the
the violence of the wind and sea they had held
to their anchors While the enemy cleared off
with his small craft Stevens rode out the hurri-